A short note: Well, this chapter is where I get to flex my writing muscles.
There may not be as much sex as you've become accustomed to but I promise
you the kick ass plot will make up for it. (Yes, the plot will even make up
for lack of sex). But, that said, this chapter does contain Andrea's 'first
time.' So that's somethin' to read on for!

You'll also notice this chapter is written in first person instead of
third. That's only for this chapter and not future ones. I just wanted to
do something unique as I continue the traditional 'break in general story
telling, every 5 chapters'

As usual, mail me comments/suggestions at ([email protected]) --
Don't forget to write! It's like an addiction I tell you… I get hooked on
messages and then can't go on without them! Anyway, enjoy chapter 10.

Oh and you'll be glad to know I'm not even half done yet as my outline for
book one of II goes a planned 22 chapters.

And finally, a special thanks to t-s-s-a.com for nominating the Invid
Invasion stories for the sites first annual awards. II got two runner up
prizes in the "best ongoing series" and the "best animated series or story"
categories. Thanks everyone for your support and watch out 'cause I'm going
for a clean sweep next year!

Here are a few terms that I'll clarify so everyone knows what they mean:

RDF: Robotech Defense Force

REF: Robotech Expeditionary Force

Both are essentially the same. The RDF became the REF just before this
story takes place. They're the human military of the time. Similar to the
United Nations Forces. (Except with giant robots)

* * *

One more thing here which you can feel free to skip over if you'd like. I
decided to provide a bit of background info for those non-robotech fans out
there, and for the hardcore fans, you'd notice I've changed a lot of
history (ie. Made it up cause I didn't know it.) So, without further ado:

Said background info: For those of you reading whom haven't figured it out,
the Zentradi and Humans were at war before the Invid arrived on the planet.
But it wasn't so much the Zentradi and Humans, who were at war, but the
Humans and a race known as 'The Robotech Masters' (cheesy I know). The
Zentradi were and are, slaves of the Masters. They're bread for war to do
the dirty work.

Well, needless to say, us Humans kicked some ass using 'Battleoid's'
(essentially bigger version of cyclones) and 'Veritech's' (airplanes with
the ability to transform like the cyclones) as their main pieces of
equipment. So, The Robotech Masters took off with tail between their legs.
Unfortunately for the Zentradi, they left so fast a number of the 40-50
foot tall purple soldiers, were left behind on the planet. Many were killed
by vengeful humans where as the rest were forced through chemical
experimentation to be reduced in size to around 7 feet tall and (poorly)
integrated into society.

Following the Masters retreat, the Humans decided to pursue them back to
their home and end the Masters warmongering once and for all.
Unfortunately, this left the Earth defenseless when the Invid happened to
come by.

To give you a timetable of approximate dates, The Masters retreated in
mid-April of 2034. The Human fleet left to pursue on May 10th of the same
year and only 5 days later, The Invid encountered Earth. On May 15th, 2034.

"So you'll never guess what I saw today?" The smooth and unusually intolerant
voice was coming from my mother, Allison. The five of us were at the dinner
table in our home in Calgary. My older brother Chris spoke up.

"What's that?"

"A Zentradi. It was just walking down the street like it owned the whole
damn town. If you ask me, making those killing machines 'shorter' at 7 feet
isn't going to do any good at all."

"Well, what was he doing?" The voice came from my left. It belonged to my
twin brother Tristen. He was about 5 minutes younger than me but always
insisted he was the older one thanks to his 'maturity.' Frankly, I could
never see his claimed maturity level.

"What was he doing? He was glaring at everyone with those red eyes of his.
Sizing everyone up. I'll tell you, I wasn't the only one to cross the
street when I passed him. He probably would have killed me without a second
thought."

"I heard most of them were pretty tame now," I said foolishly. My mother
didn't believe it for a second.

"Tame, my eye. It had muscles out to here." She gestured wildly with her
hands, obviously exaggerating.

"Right," I said sarcastically. I couldn't get used to my mother talking
like that. She was one of the least racist people I knew. If someone were
to insult an Oriental or Native or Negro anywhere in her presence, they
wouldn't just get an earful but a right hook. Her attitude certainly didn't
befit her. My other brother Chris obviously saw it too and changed the
subject. I cringed when I saw in his eyes what he was about to bring up.

"So I'm joining the REF." He ate a piece of steak and swallowed casually.
My mother on the other hand nearly spit her water out.

"I thought we already discussed that you weren't going to do anything so
rash, like joining the bloody military." She was certainly not in favor of
the idea. Her old Irish accent always began to creep out when she was mad.
Chris had brought it up a couple of weeks ago when the Robotech Masters
retreated and the decision was made to follow them back to their home
planet.

"We did, but only because you wouldn't let me out of the conversation until
I promised not to join them."

"And now you're breaking yer word, eh?"

I looked to Tristen and he glanced back briefly. She was pulling every
trick in the book now. "No, I'm doing what's right. How many people died in
the war? How many friends did I lose? I'm doing what's right."

"Ye're doing what the military says is right," she said unhappily. I looked
to my dad hoping he would interfere but as usual he was silent. He continued
eating his dinner and looked as if he couldn't hear a word that was said.

"That's a tired argument. The fleet is departing in two days and I'm going
to be with them. Period."

"That's completely unacceptable. Tell 'im, Henry." She looked to my father,
as did all of us. He calmly finished his mouthful and spoke.

"Let the boy do what he wants." A lot of people mistook my father's attitude
as uncaring, but I knew that wasn't the case. He was the most thoughtful
person I knew. When he spoke, he was always right. Not because he was more
intelligent than anyone else, but simply because he thought about what he was
going to say before he said it. I tried to mimic his persona as often as
possible but found that often times I didn't have the willpower, or the
patience.

My father's words, as expected, ended the conversation for the rest of the
night. The others finished eating and left, leaving my dad and I to take
care of the dishes. It was my turn to wash them so I let him relax at the
table as I filled up the sink.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"About the Zentradi?"

"Interesting you should focus on that one and not the REF." I already knew
about my eldest brother's plans so the conversation about the alien had
intrigued me more.

"Chris told me he was going yesterday."

"Ah." There was a long pause. "So what about the Zentradi?"

"I can't really say. I didn't see him." My father smiled.

* * *

The next day passed in relative unease. It was Sunday so my mother went to
church and as usual, my dad refused to accompany her. I followed in his
footsteps and stayed home as well, although I had an ulterior motive. When
the other three members of the family were in the car and safely on route I
headed for the door myself.

"Say hi to Gary for me."

I smiled. "Dumped Gary. It's Aiden now." Aiden was the latest in a string
of three-week relationships. My dad knew it too and always managed to
remain one boyfriend behind. I was beginning to suspect he mentioned the
old ones on purpose to remind me how fast I was going through them.

"Say hi to Aiden then."

"Will do." I gave him a kiss on the forehead and left, wearing the football
jacket that I got when my team won the district championship.

His house was nearby so I decided to walk. It was a fairly nice day even if
it was in the middle of a dry spell. There was still a little debris in the
streets thanks to a battle that had taken place nearby at the end of the
war, but the amount was negligible. I rounded a corner and looked up. To my
surprise, A Zentradi, probably the one my mom was talking about the other
day, was on the same side of the street, nearly a block away. And he was
walking in my direction.

As my mom had clamed to have done, everyone around me crossed the street
before he got too close. I didn't see the need. As he grew closer I began
to get a little more nervous but had learned from my father to conceal it
well. When we passed each other, I felt the sleeve of my jacket gently
brush his elbow and he turned to face me.

"You." His voice was deep and booming. Intimidating to be sure. I turned to
face him and saw no intended harm in his eyes. It helped me to keep my
confidence as I looked up at him. I couldn't place the expression in his
eyes. Was that gratitude? I wasn't sure. His comment confirmed my
suspicion. "Thank-you."

He was obviously referring to my apparent lack of fear, despite the fact
that I was about to wet myself. I smiled up at him. "No problem." I turned
and continued walking, but as I rounded the next corner, I found the smile
didn't disappear from my face. I was the only one with enough guts to treat
him fairly. Dad would be proud.

* * *

I was still beaming when I arrived at Aiden's place. I rapped on the door
and he quickly answered. He raised an eyebrow at my grin. "What's up?" He
asked cautiously.

"I'll tell you about it. At least if you let me in."

"I'll let you in if you tell me about it," he said coyly. I kissed him and
gently shoved my way through the door. "So, what's the deal?"

"Oh, it's dumb... I uh," I paused. Thinking about it, I realized it really
wasn't all that interesting. "I walked passed a Zentradi on the way here."

He proved my suspicion right with his dumbfounded look. "They're in the
street all the time now."

I felt vaguely ridiculous. "Yeah, but I PASSED him." I emphasized the word.
"Everyone else crossed the street."

"Nice? They just finished killing half the people we know. There's still
rubble in the streets."

I sighed, suddenly getting very tired of the conversation. "So what are you
doing tonight?

He let the conversation go as he always did when I tired of a subject.
"Nothin' planned. Why, you have an idea?" He stuck his hands in his pockets
as per the norm and leaned up against a wall.

"The Whiskey's opening up again. I think we should check it out."

Aiden looked concerned. "Andrea, we're 16."

"Do you think anyone cares? We've got no mayor, no police, just the
military which is only around for serious crimes." I looked at him
pleadingly. "So, what do you think?"

He hesitated. "Sure, why not."

"Awesome. So what do you want to do now?"

He smiled.

* * *

Night rolled around and I found myself walking back to my house to change
before going out. It was pretty tough to get gas, so everything had to be
within walking or biking distance.

I always felt safe though. The last few years of war had brought the city
together. Everyone looked out for their neighbors now. I guess that's one
of the side effects of being in a massacre. The little stuff all seems so
little again.

As I continued down the street I passed the familiar park that somehow,
continuously managed to avert disaster. It had become a bit of a local
landmark, never seeming to get a spec of debris or a damaged bush. As I
looked down the dark path to my left, off the main road, I saw a figure
sitting on one of the benches overlooking a large field. The trees hung
down around him as if concealing him from the night. By his skin tone and
size, I deduced he was the Zentradi I had encountered earlier.

I stood there and stared for a while, not sure whether to approach or to
leave. He looked sad, with his head hung and his bulky arms resting on his
knees. His hair hung in silhouette around his eyes, but I eventually
decided it would be best to leave him be. I walked away, only looking over
my shoulder once to further reconsider my decision. He would be fine, I
thought to myself. After all, what could hurt a seven-foot tall killing
machine?

* * *

I was outside the bar, waiting impatiently for Aiden to show up. I'd even
broken out the make-up for the trip and so far he was about 20 minutes
late. I had changed into a pair of low, hip hugging pants with a pair of
bikini panties. The straps from the underwear just made it up above the
edge of my pants and over my hips, supplying a nice tease for the boys.

My shirt seemed to be just as popular with the guys. It had a crisscrossed
back, but along the front, two long strips of black fabric came down over
my shoulders to cover each of my breasts. The shirt had the effect of
covering all the important sections but left a line of skin down the middle
of my torso that included all the cleavage I could muster with no bra and a
B cup. The two strips of fabric were held together by a series of three
strings that were hell to tie. As they reached the bottom of my chest they
followed the curve of my ribcage and disappeared behind my back. To be
honest, I felt a little exposed. If I leant forward too far, it would
probably be pretty easy to get a view of one of my nipples.

However, I was lucky I managed to find a set of clothing like this when the
war was on, so I saved it for special (not to mention appropriate)
occasions. It was hardly something I would wear to a family picnic.

I looked at my watch and waited another ten minutes for Aiden to arrive. I
was starting to get pissed off. "Fuck it." I went to the bouncer at the
door and he let me in with no trouble. Entrance was free so I made my way
to the bar and dug into my pocket for some money. "Get me a beer please." I
handed over a few dollars.

"What kind?"

"Don't care. Just a beer." The bartender reached behind him in the bar and
pulled one out of the fridge.

"Enjoy."

"Thanks," I said and turned to survey the club for really the first time.
It was well lit, and crowded as hell. Mostly people older than myself but
that was no big surprise. I made my way further away from the bar towards
the dance floor and watched as people tried there best not to look like
fools. The music blared from a live band playing on a stage in the corner
and fans looked down on them from the second level that ran around the
inner perimeter of the building.

I found an empty table and sat down by myself, feeling more than a little
alone. A few sips of beer saw the cure to that however and as the bottle
neared empty, I began to feel a little better. After all, there was no way
I was going to let Aiden ruin this evening by not showing up. I chugged the
rest of the bottle and left it on the table before getting up to dance.

The song was old, but the beat was good and I enjoyed it. People were
laughing and having fun all around me. Something few of us had seen since
the war started three years ago. I put my arms in the air with the rest and
started to dance. I knew I wasn't any better at it then the others but when
had we had time to practice?

A few songs later, I made my way back to a new table and a new beer. I have
to admit, I was never the best person I knew at holding my alcohol. It
tended to affect me a bit more than I gave it credit for. Working my way
through my third beer I was feeling it take hold, but still at the stage
where I thought I could act normal.

I zoned out, thinking of the Zentradi, with his wide shoulders and hung
head. He had the build one would associate with super heroes from comic
books and it seemed remarkably sad the way he sat. Something about it
didn't seem right and I was trying my damndest to figure it out.

I was staring blankly at the beer in my hands and jumped back to
consciousness as a warm hand touched my bare back. I looked behind me and
was stunned. Standing there, in the club lights had to be one of the most
angelic people I had ever seen. He was dressed in an old suit. It was warn,
but still looked good on him. His blonde hair was just long enough to hang
over the front of his face and he was clean-shaven with bright green eyes
that never stopped moving. They glinted and he spoke. "Do you want to
dance?"

Stupidly, I continued to stare. I broke out of it when he spoke again with
a smile. "Should I take that as a no?"

"No! Yes." I paused, realizing I sounded like a moron and tried to salvage
the situation. "A dance sounds nice." I stood up and took the hand he
offered as he led me over to the floor.

* * *

I could feel his hands on my body. Caressing my hips, my stomach, my back.
Never roaming too far into personal territory, but never too far away
either. I closed my eyes, enveloped in the feelings of the music. My mind
suddenly changed senses, focusing on tactile touches. The hair on my arms
rose at the light touch. A shiver went down my back and I thought of his
face.

I opened my eyes, wondering if it was a dream, or if it had really
happened. I looked around discovering the familiar surroundings of my
bedroom. The situation looked grim. Maybe I had imagined the previous
evening.

I sat up and that theory went out the window with the other one as I felt
the first spasms of a splitting headache. I started to remember more.
Flashes of history. I stood up shakily and opened the door to my room. I
remembered walking home. And suddenly I knew his name: Shawn. It definitely
wasn't a dream. As I headed downstairs to get going on the day, I found
myself hoping I would see him again soon.

I could tell breakfast was ready by the time I reached the last step. If my
brother had his way he'd be leaving today with the REF. My suspicions were
confirmed when I reached the living room to see two large bags packed and
ready to go by the door.

"You guys in the kitchen?" I called out.

"Yeah," Tristen said. I followed his voice into the kitchen and one look at
the table was more than enough to know I was in store for a feast. He
caught my gaze. "You'd think this was his last supper or something. Except
with less wine."

His comment was enough to draw a chuckle out of me and Chris but my mom
turned and glared at him. "Don't speak like that, Tristen." We all paused,
put in our place. Looks like she was still a little up tight about Chris
leaving. She shook a spatula at him threateningly. "Or this'll be your last
supper." We paused again, still not sure what to do. It went on like that
for a while, until she finally smiled. The rest of us broke out in
laughter, glad to have the woman we knew back for our mom.

"So, what's for breakfast?" I asked.

"Bread and wine," my mom said sarcastically. "Sit down and I'll get you
some." As it turned out my mother's comment wasn't too far from the truth.
There was bread and wine. And eggs, and French toast, and pancakes, and
bacon and hash browns and orange juice and coffee. Everything was there.

"When are you leaving?" I asked my eldest brother.

"Not long. About an hour. There's a bus that's picking everybody up and
taking us to Edmonton." I nodded.

"And how long are you going to be gone?"

"No one knows."

There was silence for a short time, but a quick joke from Tristen got
things going again. We ate slowly, enjoying the time we had together. My
mother was as silent as my father always was, leaving mostly the three of
us to talk.

After breakfast we were all quiet for a while. The four of us showed him to
the door. There was a quick round of good-bye's and hugs, and he left out
the front door, with a bag over one shoulder.

The door clicked shut behind him and we all stared for a while, realizing
we may never see him again. As the thought finally hit me, I quickly
slipped on a pair of shoes and followed him outside.

"Hey, Chris!" I called out to him from the side of the house and he
stopped. I jogged over and stopped in front of him. "I just wanted..." I
wasn't sure exactly what to say; I just knew I had to say something. "I
wanted to say good luck."

He smiled. "Thanks." We stood looking at each other for a few minutes,
words hanging in the silence. "Actually... There was something I wanted to
say to you, but it didn't seem quite right in front of everybody back
there."

"Oh yeah? Words of wisdom?" I joked.

"Words of truth." He paused and I found myself anxiously awaiting his next
words. "You're going to do something great in your life, Andrea. I can see
it in your eyes. Everyone can." He shifted his weight to his other foot.
"Did you know dad used to talk all the time? Before you were born? He was
the one no one could get to shut up."

"Really?"

Chris nodded. "He says he stopped the second he held you for the first
time. He saw it right then. Your whole life. And he says he never wanted to
risk saying something that wasn't 'right' in your presence." He hefted the
bag up on his shoulder again and I looked into his gray eyes. "I guess what
I'm trying to say here is... Don't ever be afraid. And don't ever let anyone
tell you what you can and can't do. You hear me?"

I nodded realizing for the first time that a tear was rolling down my
cheek. I brushed it away and gave him a hug. I couldn't think of what to
say. "Thanks."

He reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out a watch. "I want to give
this to you."

I took it from him. It was an old wind up watch that he got sometime before
the war. "It's not working," I said foolishly.

"I know. It stopped ticking the day the Masters attacked. I figure it's
just waiting for the right time to start ticking again, you know? Maybe a
happier time. Just keep it. And if it ever starts working again... Well...
You'll know what to do."

He smiled and turned, slowly walking away. I stood in the middle of the
street and watched until he was out of sight. Not daring to move. He
finally disappeared behind a hill and I turned back to the house. "Be safe
Chris."

* * *

The day was sunny, but clouds were coming in from over the mountains in the
distance, and with them, came a cold wind. I reached Aiden's door around
noon that day in a tank top and shorts. I knocked, still pissed off about
the previous night and ready to chew him out, but one look at his face when
he answered the door was enough to put all those thoughts out of my mind.

It was obvious he'd been crying. I was immediately sympathetic. "What's
wrong?"

"You didn't get my message at the club?"

I shook my head, now feeling even worse. He'd even tried to deliver a
message to me.

"My dad died last night." I looked at him, waiting for him to go on. "He
was walking home last night and was attacked by a Zentradi. They think it's
that bastard that moved into our neighborhood last week."

"Who thinks that?"

"Our neighbor. He witnessed it."

I was stunned. He certainly hadn't seemed violent when I had seen him. But
then I had seen him on the bench looking particularly sad. Maybe it was
possible it was him. I wasn't sure what to do, so I leaned forward and gave
him a hug. "Do you want me to stay?"

He broke the hug and leaned back to look at me. "Actually, I kind of need
to get out of here for a while. Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Sure."

He put on some shoes and we stepped out the door. I started heading for the
park, thinking that was a good destination to sit and talk for a while. I
still wasn't sure what to say so we ended up walking in silence most of the
way there. He spoke up as we neared the green grass that spread across the
river valley.

"Have you ever lost anyone, Andrea? Anyone close to you I mean."

"My Grandma, but we were expecting it. She had cancer."

"It's different when it's unexpected. I can't really explain it."

"You don't have to talk about it." I was actually hoping he didn't. The
idea of my father dieing suddenly was not an appealing thought.

"No, I want to." He took a deep breath and we headed into a forested area
by the slow moving river. "I... I want to find him."

"Your father?" I didn't understand.

"No, his killer. I want to find him."

"You're not even sure who it was."

He looked at me queerly. "Seven feet tall and purple? That doesn't leave a
lot of room for variety."

"No, I suppose not," I said. I still didn't like the idea that he could be
the killer. Maybe there was another Zentradi in this part of town. Or maybe
someone wanted to frame him? That wouldn't be too far fetched. One thing
he'd have plenty of, is enemies.

He stopped walking. We were in a fairly secluded spot and had left the path
far behind. I wanted nothing more than to be able to comfort him. "Andrea,"
he said. "Thanks for being here for me. And not being mad about last night.
I did want to go."

His comment did a good job at making me feel like shit. Even though I knew
it wasn't intentional. "No problem." I was still trying to find the right
words. "Although I never did get your message. I would have come back if I
did."

"I know." He looked like he cheered up briefly and looked into my eyes. He
leaned forward slowly, and kissed me softly, on the lips. As he broke the
kiss he spoke again and my heart skipped a beat. "I love you."

Boys had said that to me in the past but I never believed one of them until
that moment. I wasn't sure what to say and he must have sensed my
hesitation because he kissed me again. This time for much longer. His hands
moved to my waist and pulled me closer to him. I melted into the kiss, my
mind finally at ease that maybe I was doing something to help him relax. He
didn't break the kiss though and I felt his hands reaching up the back of
my shirt to rub along my bare back. They caressed my skin slowly as he
gently pushed me against a tree.

He withdrew his hands as my back pressed up against the smooth bark of the
birch tree. My hormones took over for my brain and I put my hands on his
waist. I grabbed onto the base of his T-shirt for a little extra support
and pulled him closer to me with the other. My brain lost track of where
his hands were and when it found them again they were pulling up the base
of my shirt, first revealing my smooth stomach, ribcage and eventually they
lifted it up over my breasts, exposing my nipples to the warm air.

I breathed out heavily as he parted his lips from mine to pull the shirt
over my head, leaving me topless. As his lips moved slowly down my neck I
could sense something was different from any other make out session I'd had
with a guy. Something was more intimate. More personal. Whether it was
feeling sorry for him, or whether it was love, I couldn't say. But my body
urged me to find out.

I felt myself begin to get wet as he kissed around my nipples and it
suddenly hit me, where this was headed. I was about to have sex for the
first time. Unless I stopped it.

My hands spoke for me as they reached to the base of his shirt and lifted
it up over his head. He was pretty attractive himself. He'd done a lot of
sports and it showed on his chest. He had the typical tall but skinny frame
of a teenager and I found myself getting more attractive to him. I ran my
hands from his neck down to his pants as he continued to kiss my breasts.
The smooth bark of the tree felt rough against my naked skin and I pushed
away with my shoulders, arching my body a little further away from the
tree, thus pushing my hips into his.

My hands stumbled on the button to his jeans and I worked on getting it
undone. While I stumbled, his hands moved to the back of my neck and up
into my hair. His head rose from my breasts and he looked me in the eyes.
"May I?" He asked the question as his hands reached the band tying my hair
back in a casual ponytail.

The irony never occurred to me that he asked to undo my hair and not to
take off my shirt. My hands finally undid his pants and pulled them down
quickly, taking his underwear with them. They stopped at his shoes and I
decided I didn't need to worry about getting them past that point. I
pressed up against him in another kiss and felt his dick against my belly,
slowly getting harder as our tongues continued to dance.

He grabbed at my pants, and not even undoing the straps, pulled them off my
along with my panties. Not wanting them to get stuck around my ankles, I
quickly slipped my feet out of their shoes and let the pants fall off the
end of my feet. Before I knew it I was completely naked, not wearing so
much as a ring. He still had me pressed up against the tree and his cock
was at full attention, rubbing back and forth across my belly. Every few
seconds it would leave a tiny wet spot of pre-cum, which surprisingly
enough, I didn't mind.

Tired of standing I pushed him away from the tree and laid him down on the
ground near the river. With a little work I got his shoes off and his pants
soon followed. I wasn't sure what to do next as I straddled his legs,
thinking I wasn't yet wet enough for penetration. I saw his eyes casually
move up and down my lithe frame. They still had a sadness in them, but
also, there was contentment.

I moved my butt down to his ankles and leaned forward. Although it had been
my intention, I found his cock surprisingly close to my mouth. It surprised
me by twitching upwards and hitting my chin, again leaving a small wet
spot. I smiled at him and he moved his hands down into my hair.

Slowly, I moved my tongue from the base of his dick, upwards towards the
head. When I got to my destination I opened my mouth wide and tried my best
to pull my teeth away from him as I let him into my mouth. My tongue tasted
his salty flavor as he went further into my mouth. I felt the tip of his
cock touch my throat and pulled back before I my gag reflex kicked in. I
was able to get about half of him in my mouth and he seemed more than happy
with it.

A few minutes passed and I thought about sex. Whether I wanted to go all
the way, whether I needed to find a condom, whether it would hurt more then
it would feel good. I decided to throw caution to the wind and took my
mouth off his cock. It was now wet with saliva and I was certainly ready
enough to have him enter me. "Was that okay?" I asked, referring to the
blowjob.

"God, yes. Have you ever done that before?"

I smiled cautiously. "I've never done any of this before."

He hid his surprise well. He was more than aware of my string of boy
friends and it must have shocked him a little that I'd never made it this
far with any one of them. I moved my hips up to his and placed my slick
pussy over his pulsing member. I held it there, with the head of it gently
resting against the entrance inside me. "You're my first time for all of
this."

He smiled, not saying anything else and I let my weight come down slowly on
top of him. It only made it inside me about an inch or so before I felt it
hit my hymen. One of his hands rested on my thigh and he looked at me.
"Take it as slow as you want."

I nodded and clenched my eyes shut as I shoved downwards a little further.
"Ahhh." The pain was surprisingly intense. It shot through my body and up
through my breasts, forcing me to cringe forwards, his cock now a few
inches further inside me.

"Are you okay?"

"It hurts."

"Do you want to stop?" I was closer to his eyes now and could see them very
clearly. He was genuinely concerned.

"No. Just give me a minute." I felt winded, and rested on top of him for
what seemed like a long time. I could feel a trail of blood dripping out of
me and down my leg. I didn't care. Slowly, I sat up again. The pain was
receding and I moved upwards, so the head of his member was barely inside
of me. I pressed myself back down on him again, this time putting much more
of him inside me. He was about three quarters inside and it felt like he
was splitting me in two. I still couldn't believe the pain that came with
the actions.

I repeated the process and this time got him all the way inside me. "Unnn."
I cringed forward again and he wrapped his arms around my waist. Carefully,
keeping him inside me, he rolled us over so I was on my back and I spread
my legs further apart, his weight now on top of me. My small breasts
jiggled as my body came to a stop.

He smiled down at me, and suddenly, the pain went away. He started to pump
back and forth and I moaned as he did so. My heart raced and my nipples
became stiffer as he continued the motion. He caressed my right breast with
his hand while he balanced with his other one, never stopping the
movements. It seemed like he knew exactly what to do to make me feel good.

His warm breath on my neck brought my attention to his face and I tilted my
head to kiss him passionately. My tongue leapt out of my mouth and into
his, pushing and pulling with his, trying to get closer with every part of
my body. The hand on my breast squeezed roughly and it sent a shock of
pleasure through my torso. "Are you okay?" He probably mistook my gasps of
pleasure for more pain.

"Yes," I said breathily. "Don't stop." I tightened the muscles around his
cock and felt him rub against them more firmly. I could tell the bleeding
had stopped and I became fully engaged in the act. "Ohhh. Like that," I
said as he lifted my leg up with one of his arms letting him get inside me
even deeper. "Is it always like this?"

He smiled. "I wouldn't know. This is my first time too."

For some reason that comment carried enough weight to bring me close to
climax. "I'm almost ready to cum. Are you far?"

He chuckled and moaned. "No, not far."

I arched my back into him, so only my shoulders and ass held any of my
weight and he continued to relentlessly plow into me. My labia swelled
around him and I started to sweat heavily. Again, his hand went back to my
breast to rub it encouragingly. Then, he came.

I could feel the first heavy spurt of the liquid plant itself deep within
me. The sensation was strong, and I could clearly feel it come in contact
with me. My body shook from the sensation, not sure whether it was time for
my orgasm or not. After what seemed like an eternity, the next spurt of cum
implanted itself into me and I clenched my arms around him. The feeling
triggered my own orgasm and I shook severely, hanging on to him with a
death grip.

As each pulse of his dick followed, my body felt lighter and lighter until
I was practically flying on adrenaline. My eyes rolled up in my head and I
lost focus of the world around me. All that mattered was feeling.

Finally, my orgasm subsided and I felt incredibly weak. I collapsed
backwards into the soft grass and he came with me, keeping our bodies
close. His cock was still inside me and my pussy pulsed around it, trying
to milk every drop it could from him. "Was that okay?" He said.

I was too out of it to answer, barely even registering the question. All it
succeeded in doing was bringing my eyes back to focus on his. I shuddered
suddenly, and it reminded me of the after effects that you heard about
following an earthquake.

"Are you okay?" he said a little worried. This time I was conscious enough
to return his comment.

"Just fine. That was amazing."

"You were amazing," he said without pause. "Thank-you."

I smiled and laid back, drifting off into a daze.

* * *

"Andrea?" Hearing my name shook me awake. "Someone's coming." I was still
naked by the river and Aiden was quickly getting dressed. He already had
his pants on and was just pulling his shirt over his head. He started
working on his shoes while I was still looking around for my pants. I could
hear the sound of footsteps approaching.

Finally, I located my pants and pulled them up as quickly as possible. I
just had them fastened when the person came out of the trees and into view.
My jaw dropped when I saw who it was, but he seemed even more surprised
then I was. It was Tristen.

"Andrea?" He said, astonished. He looked at me just long enough to find I
was topless and quickly looked away. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

"I, uh..." I stumbled.

"She got bit by something on her back, and I was umm... trying to see if she
was okay." The weak excuse came out of Aiden but it was a step up from
anything I was thinking and was grateful for the attempt.

I quickly put on my shirt. "You can turn around now," I said to Tristen and
he did so.

"Did this thing bite you on the feet too?

I didn't understand the question. "What? No. Why would you say that?"

He looked down at my bare feet. "Because you're not wearing any shoes."

"Oh, shit," I blurted, realizing I'd been caught. I turned to Aiden.
"Listen, I better go, but I'll meet up with you later okay?"

He nodded understandingly and I stood up and put on my shoes. "Let's go."
Tristen said.

I said nothing but walked off with him. Just as I expected, the fight
started as soon as we were out of Aiden's earshot.

"What the hell was that about?"

"What the hell were you doing in the woods?" I replied, hoping I wouldn't
have to answer his question.

"I always walk along the river, you know that." He had me there. It was no
secret; he went out almost every day. "So, are you going to answer my
question?"

"What question?" I was being a smart-ass.

"What you were doing with... with... Do you even know his name?"

I dropped my jaw for the second time that afternoon. "Of course I know his
name. I've been dating him for like... weeks." As soon as I said it I knew I
was doomed.

"Weeks huh? Well, if that's enough time to drop your pants and spread em
for somebody it's a wonder you're not pregnant by now..."

"Wait just a minute," I said stopping in my tracks. "My personal life is
none of your fucking concern so I'll ask you to stay the hell out of it."
It was rare for me to swear and it caught him off guard for a minute. I
pressed the advantage. "Who are you to lecture me anyways? Mr.
Responsibility himself, huh?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said foolishly.

"Oh no?" I was ready to pounce and he backed off.

"Okay, maybe I've made a few mistakes, but that doesn't mean..."

"This wasn't a mistake!"

"Well, it's nice that you believe that, but I think time may disagree with
you."
"Now what are you saying?"

"I'm saying if you end up pregnant at 16, you're not going to look back at
it with fond memories."

"What? You don't even know I had sex. My shirt was off for Christ's sake.
You've never had your shirt off around a girl?"

"Alright Andrea. You're my sister; I'll trust you to tell me the truth. If
you say you didn't have sex with him, I'll apologize and walk away, right
now."

I stood there, staring at him for a while, caught in a face off.
Eventually, I said the only two words that came to mind. "Fuck you." I
turned and stormed off.

* * *

Half an hour later, found me sitting on a bench in the park, alone, and
thinking of the future. I was pissed off at Tristen for telling me what I
knew was at least partially the truth. I was scared I would end up thinking
it was a mistake, but also, I was confident. Confident that I did make the
right choice.

I looked around casually and realized I knew the bench I was at. It was the
same spot that the Zentradi had sat the night before. I realized then that
I wanted to talk with him. I wanted to give him a chance to say he wasn't a
murderer. But I had no idea how to find him. If he wanted to stay hidden,
my gut told me that he'd be able to do just that. So instead of trying to
find him, I decided to wait. And let him find me.

* * *

Four days had passed. I avoided my family at all costs, only home to eat
and clean up. The rest of my time was spent sitting, or sleeping in the
park. Sometimes I was patient, and sometimes I paced uncomfortably. I was
going to stay there as long as it took, but it was taking a damn long time.

I was just sitting up; ready to head home for a quick shower and a bite to
eat when something caught my eye. Movement from inside the trees. I
strained my eyes to see what could have been out there but saw only shadow.
Night had fallen and it was starting to get cold. I stood up, thinking my
imagination was playing tricks on me.

"You." I recognized the voice instantly. It was him. I turned to the trees
and started walking towards the sound, fearlessly.

"Where are you?"

"Shadows."

"I can tell that." I stopped walking once I reached the denser part of the
brush. "Do you need any help?"

"Yes... And no." I didn't understand, but I imagine I wasn't supposed to. His
voice sounded scared. "I'm to your right." I turned and peered into the
trees. I couldn't see anything but his skin was dark and hard to see. I saw
movement and jumped at how close he was. He was only a few feet away. His
dark clothes and skin made him impossible to see when he was still. The
effect was most likely planned by his creators.

"Do you know, that there are no female Zentradi?" His red eyes were the
only part of him easily visible. "It makes it... Difficult to talk to not
only someone of a different species, but of a different gender as well. And
then for that person to be so young... It's a wonder I'm here."

"Well, now that you've brought up every reason why you shouldn't talk to
me, what about why you should?"

"Because you will listen. What other reason matters?" He paused, and looked
down at me with calculating eyes. "You will listen?" I nodded, not knowing
if I really wanted to or not. "Then come."

"Wait, where are we going?"

"You'll see."

* * *

We walked. We walked for a long time. The sun broke over the horizon, and
we walked some more. We had been out of the city for some time and
exhaustion was starting to kick in. "How much further?"

"Not far."

He spoke the truth. Less than an hour later we got to our destination. He
led me to a ridge, overlooking a huge crater. Without even looking down I
knew where we were. I'd heard of this place but during the war it was
quarantined. Now, it was just a few hunks of metal, strewn about across the
plains. It was the SDF-1.

The SDF-1 was the first alien ship to ever make contact with Earth. Stories
varied about how it came to rest in this spot. Whether it was shot down by
Humans, or simply crashed was unknown. In the end, it didn't matter. First
contact started with a war. And the war started right here.

"I see you know this place." He spoke softly.

"I know of it. Why did you take me here?"

"To find the truth. We're almost there now. Come."

He started descending down the crater edge. "Where are we going?"

"Follow me." I sighed and started following him down the steep decline in
terrain. He led me to the ship's entrance, or rather, a large hole in the
hull likely thanks to its landing. "We're almost there."

He ducked as he made his way through the wreckage. The main body of the
ship was mostly intact and the RDF had taken everything of value out of it.
Or so I thought. He knew where he was going. And he knew what he was
looking for. I found myself dreading the end of our journey.

We reached a plain section of wall and he stopped. I looked at him but said
nothing, not wanting to disturb him. "It's here."

"What's here?"

"The future of everything." He moved to the side and pulled back a muscular
arm. With astounding force, he brought it forward, through the wall and
into the circuitry behind it. He started pulling at wires, stripping
everything out of the panel he'd found. He completed his goal and suddenly,
a hidden panel in front of me pulled to the side. Behind it, was a large
tube of green liquid.

"What is it?"

"It's called Proto-culture."

"That's what it looks like? We use it to power our Mecha's."

"I know. It is everything."

"I don't understand."

"There are two planets that I know of, where the flower that you need to
create this grows freely. One belongs to a race known as the Invid. The
other..."

"Earth."

"That's correct. The Masters were the first to realize its potential as an
energy source. They cultivated it and tried to get it to grow elsewhere.
They failed. It would not grow."

"Why not?"

"Unknown. What is known is that it's 100% efficient. The only known power
source in the Universe that wastes no energy, whatsoever. It is, the
single, best energy source known to any of us. The Masters discovered this
first and did whatever they could to take it. It once grew on hundreds of
planets. The Masters have them all except for two. They cultivated it to
extinction, and they are the only ones, (other than the Invid and the
Humans) who know how to use it. They would, and have done anything for it."

"I still don't understand why you've brought me here."

"Because you Humans don't realize this yet. You take it for granted. But
your planets destiny lies in the future of one plant. If you squander it,
your planet will fall. But if you add it to Humanity's other assets...
Creativity... The need to explore... Pride... The defense of the weak...
Temperance. If you combine it with those things, then nothing, not even the
Masters can stop you."

It was all still sinking in. The future of my species, and one question
plagued me more than any other. "Did you kill a man five nights ago?"

He stopped suddenly and looked at me. He hung his head. "Yes."

"Why?"

"He attacked me. He had a weapon. I was defending myself and I lost
control. You must understand that this is not a happy life for me. My body
is not even as it should be. It takes concentration every moment to be
civil. But in a fight... The Zentradi were meant to fight. And when we're
instigated, we don't hold back. We can't." He shut the panel that had swung
open to reveal the green energy source. And suddenly, a noise echoed from
further down one of the ships corridors. "Someone is here."

The hulking purple body in front of me turned and headed down a different
hall. I followed him closely, more than a little nervous about what we
might find. I held my breath as we rounded the next corner and bumped into
the massive frame in front of me as he stopped suddenly. "Who are you?" His
voice boomed and if I had been on the other side of him I would have wet my
pants.

"Err... My name's Shawn. Wh... What have you done with Andrea?" I recognized
the voice and stepped out from behind the Zentradi. "Oh, uh, hi Andrea."

"Why did you follow us?" He was still speaking with hostility.

"I uh... I wanted to make sure Andrea was okay."

"I'm fine."

"Yes, I can see that." He turned to the Zentradi once again. "Are you going
to attack me?"

"Hah." He scoffed and spoke to me. "If you want to meet again, I'll be in
the park at eight." He started walking back out of the ship. I turned to
Shawn.

"You shouldn't have come here."

"I thought he was kidnapping you."

"What? Why would he want to do that?"

"A beautiful young woman like yourself? Who wouldn't want to kidnap you?"

I blushed instead of laughed and turned to follow the Zentradi. I started
walking away but his voice rang out. "Andrea?" I stopped. "Do you want to
have dinner with me tonight?" I turned to face him.

"Sorry, I have a boy friend."

"So what. It's just dinner."

"Umm..." I wasn't sure what to say.

"Tell you what. You don't have to answer now. I'll be at the Roasterie at
seven and if you want to join me, you can meet me there, okay?"

"Anytime." His smile almost convinced me to stay but I was more concerned
with answers. I followed in the tracks of my guide and soon found myself
outside the old ship and back in the plains once more. I caught up to him
with a run and started walking along side. He was already heading back to
town.

"So what are you going to do?" I asked him.

"About what?"

"About... It." I didn't want to say 'about you killing a man.' It felt wrong
to think of him in that context.

"What can I do? It's just a matter of time until they find me. They'll call
me guilty and I'll be dead. Not much room to maneuver in there."

"I suppose not. You should stay out of town or something. You know, wait
until everything dies down."

He stopped unexpectedly and looked me in the eye. "I do not run away from
what I've done. Don't confuse us with the Masters."

"I'm sorry. It's just..." He peered at me more carefully. "It's what I would
have done."

"We are not the same, you and I."

"I guess not."

We stood facing each other for a few minutes in an awkward silence.
Eventually, he began moving again, dropping the conversation. We walked the
rest of the way in silence and we split ways without another word, just
before city limits. An hour later I was at my house, and exhausted from
walking. It was nearly five already and I entered the building, not
expecting anything out of the ordinary.

Inside, My brother and parents were in the first room I came to, sitting on
the couch talking. They stopped as I entered and I couldn't help but get
the feeling that the discussion was about me. "Tristen, can you give us a
few minutes please?" The request came from my mother.

"Sure, mom." He got up and headed to his room, leaving me awkwardly alone
with my parents.

"What's this about?" I asked cautiously.

"We're worried about you," my Dad said.

"Oh. I'm fine. No worries." I tried to opt out of the conversation then and
there, but they both saw through the feeble attempt.

"Andrea, sit down please." My mother asked in her most pleasant voice and I
complied, realizing I had better hear them out. But if the conversation was
about Aiden, I was going to lose it. My mother went on. "I just want to be
clear here, this conversation isn't about sex." I breathed a sigh of
relief. "We both... Well, your father more than I, understands that you want
to express yourself and we know you're responsible enough to make the right
choices."

I sighed. Another birds and the bees chat in disguise. It was exactly what
I hoped to avoid by staying out of the house over the last few days. My
father caught my expression and took over for her. "I've always told you,
when you're not sure whether or not to trust somebody, that you should
default to trust. You remember that?"

"Of course."

"In this case, your mother and I think you should be more cautious."

"In what case?"

"With the Zentradi," my Mother said.

"What? But he's harmless."

"Somehow, I doubt Aiden would agree, Andrea."

"There's a great deal we don't know about his people," my Father said. "He
may well be harmless, and he may not. It's impossible to judge somebody
when you have no frame of reference."

I said the only thing that came to mind. "His eyes are the same as yours."
The comment shut them up for a few minutes while they thought over what
they were saying.

"We think that you should stay away from him until this whole matter with
Aiden's father is resolved."

I stood up. "Is that all?"

My Mother nodded and I went upstairs to my room. I was sweaty from walking,
so I went in to the bathroom for a quick shower and a chance at shacking
off what they just finished discussing with me. I had no intentions of
following their advice.

The water felt good after the day of walking and the relatively hot weather
we'd had recently. I melted into the stream and started to relax. The day's
events went round in my brain. The future of the Human race depended on a
flower. Go figure.

The water started to turn cold and I got out of the shower and dried off. I
wrapped the towel around my chest and waist and walked to my bedroom. The
time was after six and I still didn't know if I wanted to meet Shawn or not
for dinner. He had followed me for miles and then stood up to a seven foot
Zentradi however and that had to count for something. Maybe it was worth
humoring him for a while.

I started to get dressed. What could it hurt to meet him there? Besides, my
parents would probably be against it and that was reason enough as is.

I pulled the top over my head and looked at myself in the mirror. The
outfit worked okay, but didn't do any favors for my ass. I hooked my thumbs
around the waist of my pants and was about to pull them down when it
occurred to me that I didn't care what this Shawn guy thought of me. I
pulled my thumbs back out and started brushing my hair. While I was in the
middle of it, a knock came at the door. "Yeah?"

"Can I come in?" It was my father.

"Sure." I kept brushing and only turned to look at him briefly as he
entered.

"Going out again?"

"Just for a couple hours. Someone wants to take me to dinner."

"Mark?"

"Aiden." I saw the disappointed look in his eyes. "It's not like that. It's
just dinner." I turned my butt to him. "See? I'm not even wearing my ass
pants."

I smiled back. "I know. That's why I said it." I was already in a better
mood. "So what do you want?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to come to church with me on Sunday."

I looked at him skeptically. "This isn't some kind of 'my daughter's living
in sin and I have to make her see the light' thing is it?"

"No, nothing like that. I just find..." He paused to think his words out.
"It's good to check in now and again, despite what you believe. You never
know when you might learn something new about yourself."

I paused like he did before speaking. "Sure. I'll come. 9am?"

"You got it."

"Alright." I put down my brush. "Well I'm out of here. I'll see you later,
okay?"

"Sure." He stepped out of my room and walked down the hall. I went the
opposite direction and exited out the front door.

* * *

The restaurant was pretty crowded, even for a Friday. Now that the war was
over people were trying to enjoy themselves with the little things. I
didn't blame them. After all, that's why I was here. I found Shawn at a
table for two, sipping a glass of water. There was no food in front of him
yet and I walked over and sat down. "Hey," I said.

"Hey. You came."

"So I did. Have you ordered yet?"

"Nope. I was waiting for someone."

"Is that so?" I said coyly.

"That's so." A waiter came by and poured me a glass of water. He quickly
left after the glass was full. Shawn continued. "So what do you want to
eat?"

"I don't know. Something fresh."

"How about the rabbit?"

"What are you kidding? I'd rather eat the same thing as him."

"Don't tell me you're a vegetarian."

I felt a little insulted, despite the fact that I was as much a carnivore
as the next person. I lied to him. "Actually, I am."

"Huh. Well to each their own I guess." I opened the menu and started to
look over things. I had never noticed until now how few vegetarian items
the place had. I settled on a salad and put down my menu.

The waiter came back and we placed our orders in-between long talks as we
got to know each other better. He had an innocence to him that I couldn't
help but find charming. He seemed a little set in his ways, but always
backed off if my opinion differed from his. If only a few previous boy
friends had had that quality I might have been with them longer.

* * *

The night progressed well and we parted ways happily after the meal with an
agreement to meet again soon. It was right about eight o'clock and I headed
over to my next appointment. It occurred to me then, that I still didn't
know the Zentradi's name. I would have to ask him that.

I got to the park a little late so I was walking quickly, trying to make up
time. As soon as I arrived in the clearing near the bench that we always
met at, I stopped dead in my tracks. The Zentradi was there, with hands on
his head, and holding him at gunpoint, was no one other than Aiden. He had
brought friends and the two held energy weapons pointed at him. He was
saying something to him that I couldn't quite make out. I called to my
boyfriend. "Aiden!"

He turned to face me as I ran towards the group. His two friends still kept
their eyes on the Zentradi. "You shouldn't be here, Andrea."

"I could say the same about you." I quickly realized the direness of the
situation. "What are you doing?" I thought he looked remarkably calm.

"You know as well as I do there's no police force anymore. This is
justice."

"No it's not," I said shocked. "It's revenge." He stood there, looking
between his potential victim and me. He couldn't make up his mind as to
which course of action to take. "Look at yourself. You're a thug. You're
holding a man hostage while you make up your mind if he's worth killing or
not. Have you even listened to his side of the story?"

"There's nothing to say."

"Are you sure about that?" I turned to the Zentradi. "Tell him."

He spoke with a voice that was softer than normal. "It was self defense. I...
It was an accident. He was holding a weapon at me. He said he was going to
fire. I hit him. I hit him hard."

One of Aiden's friends spoke up. "We don't need to hear any of your alien
lies. Get down on your knees."

The Zentradi obliged, but he was slow to do it. I looked in his eyes and
saw the rage that he had described building once more. His other friend
spoke. "He's a fucking killer Aiden. More times than one, of that you can
be sure. Put him out of his misery." His eyes continued to darken. I turned
to Aiden.

"Where'd you get that gun, Aiden?"

He was lost in thought. "What?"

"Where did you get it?"

"It uh... It was found with my father."

I knew that was my 'in' and I pressed it. "Don't you see? It combined with
your father's mistrust and hate. It killed him, Aiden. Just as sure as it
will kill you if you fire it. Maybe not outside, but in." I used my most
sturdy voice. "Don't do this, Aiden. Don't do this."

His eyes welled up and he collapsed to his knees. I grabbed him and held
onto him. I felt the wetness around his cheeks as he started to cry. "It's
okay." I tried to comfort him.

"Fine, if you won't kill the Alien bastard I will."

I looked back at the misunderstood victim in all of this and saw in his
eyes he'd had enough. He'd reached a breaking point. What happened next was
a blur of speed and adrenaline. The Zentradi let out a vicious roar and
quickly jumped to his feet, swiping hard at one of Aiden's friends. The man
went flying for what seemed like forever, before finally hitting a tree and
falling down hard.

Then, a high-pitched whine filled the air, and a release of energy. The
Zentradi's eyes opened wide, and he fell back to his knees, before falling
to the ground on his side. Aiden's other friend had fired and hit him in
the back. I couldn't speak. I let go of Aiden and ran to my fallen comrade.
The friend was already rushing over to make sure that there was no round
two. He held the gun to the Zentradi's head, but didn't fire. I was in the
way.

The huge alien's eyes fluttered the same as a Human's and I looked at him,
trying to bring him to full awareness using just my own gaze. It worked for
long enough to speak. "Andrea..."

"It's okay, I'll... I'll get help, you'll be fine."

"No one..." He coughed, again, the same as a Human. "No one will help."

"But..." I felt tears welling up in my own eyes. "I don't even know your
name."

He smiled briefly. "It, A..." his breath gave out and he collapsed completely
onto the cold Earth. I don't remember much of what happened after that. I
cried for a while, but not as long as I thought I should have.

I stood up, the park was empty by then and I started walking. I walked for
a long time, heading back out of the city. I vaguely remember passing Shawn
in the street and him seeming somewhat concerned about me, but I walked on,
ignoring him. He must have followed me.

The night was cold and I found myself back out of city limits heading
towards the downed ship. I heard steps behind me and vaguely remembered
passing Shawn. I turned to look at him and he was closer than I thought. He
took one look at my face and extended his arms for a hug. I latched on,
happy just to bask in the comfort of another person.

"Are you okay?" He said softly.

I shook my head. "I don't know."

"What happened?"

"They killed him."

"The Zentradi?"

I nodded into his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't cry like this." I wiped
my cheeks feeling more than a little embarrassed.

"Hey, hey, hey." He still spoke softly. "You cry as much as you want. I'll
be here."

I nodded again as I put my head back against his shoulder. He felt
incredibly comforting and suddenly, without thinking, I lifted my head up
and kissed him on the lips. He was hesitant at first but quickly returned
the kiss. The feeling of wholeness washed over me and I realized I now knew
exactly what it was like for Aiden, four days ago when we made love for the
first time. Now, I was the crushed victim. I didn't realize how good it
felt to feel someone's arms around you who you knew would protect you.

I intensified the kiss and hoped my brain would forget about my troubles
with my body. With only a brief hesitation, I lifted his shirt up over his
chest and broke the kiss just long enough to take it off. "Andrea..." His
voice ruined the moment, so I shushed him, putting a finger to his lips
before kissing him once more. I pulled down his pants easily and pressed
myself against him, cursing my breasts for keeping me just that short
distance away from him.

I reached to my waist and lifted my shirt off my body, not wanting to waste
any time. I wanted to be in his arms. I wanted to be lifted off the plain
of reality. He sensed it. I'm sure of it, and pulled my pants down quickly.

Gently, he laid me back against the soft grass and kissed his way down my
neck and my breasts. I put my hands in his hair and expected him to stop
there, but he kept going, getting closer and closer to my sex. His mouth
brushed passed my soft sparse pubic hairs and his tongue extended outwards
ever so slightly. The warm, wet organ pressed against my labia and slid
between it, finding my clit.

I gasped, and grabbed hold of his hair harder. His tongue continued to
dance around my pussy, never penetrating inside, but bringing me closer and
closer to my second orgasm with a man. He has a slight amount of stubble
around his chin and it rubbed coarsely across my skin, tickling me as he
went. His tongue hit my clit again and I gasped. He smiled through his
ministrations and pressed harder against it. I could feel blood swelling to
my breasts and pussy as he continued and felt the rush of orgasm approach.

Suddenly, I became light headed as I teetered on the brink of climax. He
stopped for a brief moment and then pressed his tongue back to my sex once
more. The slippery sensation around my most sensitive area was more than
enough to send tingles down to my fingers and toes. I tensed and wrapped my
legs around his head as he continued to lick and suck through the orgasm.
Eventually it became too much and I had to speak. "Stop, stop. It's too
sensitive."

He smiled and pulled his face back up to my own, thus lining his dick up
with my climaxing sex. He kissed me, without hesitation and I tasted myself
on him. I didn't want to ruin the moment, so I kissed through it, despite
the awkwardness of the idea.

My body finally started to relax from the orgasm and I let myself sink into
the grass once more. The break was short lived however as he placed his
hands on my butt and lifted it so his cock could reach my pussy.

Slowly, he pressed the head into my sex and shoved. It went in easily,
having just released plenty of fluids, but it was still surprisingly
sensitive and caused me to tense my body yet again. He kissed back down to
my neck and breasts while he shoved in and out of me roughly. I was caught
in the carnal pleasure of it and simply rested there with legs spread,
enjoying the submissive side to the act.

It suddenly felt like I was floating and I pulled him closer to me, basking
in the confidence he gave me. Without even speaking, he knew what to do to
me, and it was a relief.

His relentless pumping continued as I built towards a second orgasm. I was
already twitching thanks to the sensitivity of my pussy and by the time I
saw him tense, I was long gone. The first burst of semen hit my inner walls
and felt hot against the velvety skin. I came again and pressed my breasts
into his chest hard. My eyes closed and I felt even more light headed than
before.

He let out soft grunts as he came, which only served to intensify my own
orgasm. I saw spots, and suddenly, it was over. I could feel him slowly
getting soft inside me again, and I kept my eyes closed, content in the
safety I convinced myself I had. I felt exhausted and closed my eyes,
quickly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

I woke up with a shiver as the suns light first began to warm the ground
around me. My eyes slowly parted to reveal Shawn, lying naked beside me. He
was looking into my face and I realized with slight embarrassment that I
was still naked. But of course, so was he. I caught him looking at my
breasts as they moved with my breathing and smiled. "You shouldn't stare."

"Sorry, I can't help it." He looked back at my face. "Listen, Andrea. You
know I would never want to hurt you right?"

His question raised alarm bells in my head and I forced myself to become
serious. "Yes. Why?"

"I want you to know how much last night meant to me. I don't want to ever
lie to you, and as hard as that is, that includes keeping things from you."

"What are you getting at Shawn?" I was getting a little worried.

He took a deep breath and I held mine, waiting anxiously. "I knew about the
attack on the Zentradi last night."

"What?" I was still trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"I knew about it because..." He looked away from me and I knew I was about to
hear something I wouldn't want to. "Because I told them where he was going
to be at 8."

"What?" It came out as almost a whisper. I was stunned.

"Andrea, I'm sorry, I don't know what to say."

I sat up, forgetting I was still naked. I yelled at him and he cringed
backwards. "You fucking pig." I started to breathe heavily. "You not only
knew, but you were responsible. And then, what? You just had pity sex with
me as a bonus?"

"What, no, it wasn't like that." He tried to explain but I wasn't in the
mood. He had sat up too and I made a fist with my right hand. Before he
could react, I brought it down hard into his stomach, easily winding him.
He gasped for air and I pounced, more furious than I'd ever been in my
life.

I punched, bit and kicked as hard and as often as I could, bruising him
wherever I could think of. In afterthought, he was probably trying to avoid
a fight. I was no martial artist and if he wanted to he could probably have
taken me. It occurred to me that maybe he didn't want to hit a girl.

Regardless, I soon found myself on top of him, taking shots at his face
while he tried his best to block. "Andrea stop. I'm sorry."

"You're a fucking bastard is what you are." I leaned way back, lifting my
fist up into the sky and looked up at it briefly. Suddenly, a trail of fire
in the sky caught my attention and I held my arm in place. Shawn opened his
eyes to see what had stopped my assault.

The one streak of flame was replaced with dozens. Then hundreds, until it
seemed like Armageddon itself was above us. Streaks of fire cascaded in all
directions through the sky and disappeared before anything touched ground.
I stood up, having forgotten about our fight. "What is that?"

He stood up too and looked upwards. "I don't know. But it doesn't look
good."

"Is it the Masters again?" I knew he couldn't possibly know the answer but
I asked anyway.

"I don't know. But it doesn't look good."

Long minutes passed, and the streaks of fire continued to rain down from
the sky. It wasn't a meteor shower or some would have hit ground, and it
wasn't weapons, or they would have struck. So that left one thing. Ships.

* * *

It had been half an hour and the streaks of flame had finally stopped.
Shawn and I had stared in silence the entire time. I realized I was still
naked and I quickly got dressed. Shawn followed suit and we began jogging
back towards the city. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I wanted to be
there for whatever it was.

As I was hurrying back, I heard a noise behind me. It sounded like wind,
rushing through a tunnel and I turned around. A large flying vessel was
headed towards the city. I didn't get a very good look at it, but it gave
me the distinct impression of a crab. It had claws attached the tiny arms
on the side and one eye, in the center. It passed by us quickly and headed
towards the city. In the distance, I saw others coming as well. Hundreds of
them. Thousands. They flew overhead and charged my hometown with
unbelievable speed. I instinctively knew what was about to happen next.

"No!" I yelled it out as loud as I could. "Stop!" I started running as fast
as I could towards the city but Shawn tackled me to the ground. I hit hard
and got up on my elbows to watch.

"No, Andrea. We're safer here."

"I don't care where we're safer," I said, struggling to get free. "We have
to help."

"Look at them. There's thousands. The REF is gone. There's nothing we can
do."

I stopped struggling, and on the Horizon, far South of the city, I saw a
bright flash of light, then another, then another. I could see the mushroom
clouds that could only belong to nuclear weapons from where I was laying.
We were trying to fight back.

* * *

The sky was turning dark, but not from the setting sun. Shawn finally
released me and I stood up again. The Invid had been gone for a while now
and I thought it was probably safe to go back in the city. Canada didn't
have any nuclear weapons so at least I didn't have to worry about that.

I left Shawn behind to find his own way, and after an hour of jogging,
reached city limits. I knew exactly where to go.

My house's roof was partially collapsed and the second I saw that, my heart
sank. The whole city was leveled. I would later find out that the Invid
generally just destroyed anything over a story or two high. But Calgary was
to be their base of operations. They were more thorough.

The front door of my house was full of debris so I went around to a side
window and climbed in. "Mom? Dad?" I walked aimlessly through the living
room. The furniture was covered in dirt and dust from the roof and walls.
The floor creaked beneath me and I made my way further into the building. I
called out again. "Mom? Dad? Tristen?"

There was a long pause and then I heard another voice. It was my brother's.
"I'm in here." He sounded incredibly calm and set my mind at ease as I
turned the corner to enter the bedroom.

He was standing straighter than I'd ever seen him, looking down. His
clothes didn't look as dirty as I would have expected and dust in the room
caught the light beams coming through the window, casting him with a faint
glow. He was looking down, a few feet in front of him.

"Where are mom and dad?" Despite his expression I was feeling more
confident. I followed his gaze, and saw the two of them, lying on the floor
under a chunk of fallen roof. "What happened?" I knelt down to take their
pulse. I'd never done that before, much less to someone I knew and I found
it a lot harder than I thought it would be. I didn't want to risk a mistake
so I pressed into their necks at a few points, and even took my father's
wrist to make sure. There was nothing.

"I was out of town looking for you when all this started." A tear was
rolling down his cheek. "I uh... I got back and they were like this."

I felt wetness on my own cheek. "Was it the Masters again?"

"I don't know. I don't think so." We walked over to me and put his hands
under my arms to lift me up. I barely complied. "Listen, Andrea. We should
go in case they come back."

"No." I squirmed free and knelt back down again. "We should... We should bury
them."

"Andrea..." I could tell Tristen was scared. He stood straighter when he was
afraid. Like an animal that rose it's fur to look taller.

"No Tristen. I'm going to bury them. You can help, or you can leave."

"I..." He still wasn't sure what to do and I didn't really blame him. To be
honest, I don't think I would have been mad even if he did leave. "Okay,
let's get them out of here. Umm... I'll lift up on this and you pull them out
okay?"

I nodded, grimly aware that I was about to carry my own lifeless parents
out of our house. Another tear ran down my cheek as I pulled my Mother out
of the wreckage.

* * *

I put the last shovel of dirt back on the grave and took a cross my brother
had assembled from some fallen branches off a tree. With the shovel I
pounded it into the dirt above their heads and stood up straight. I was
exhausted but had a sort of energy that I couldn't quite justify. Maybe my
body knew my life had changed and was eager to begin the process. If that
were the case, my mind wouldn't be too quick to follow. Without saying a
word to Tristen or my fallen parents I walked away, dropping the shovel
between the graves and the toppled gate out of my backyard. "Don't stay in
the city Andrea. I'll meet you back here in a week if they haven't come
back."

I ignored him. I wasn't sure where I was headed but I knew it wasn't going
to end with me staying in Calgary. I walked again for a short time, until
something caught the corner of my eye. It was the church my family
frequented and remarkably, it seemed unscathed. At least the central hall
of it did. I stopped walking and looked up at it. I remembered something my
dad said to me yesterday. 'It's good to check in now and again, despite
what you believe. You never know when you might learn something new about
yourself.'

I went to the front doors and entered the abandoned building. Surprisingly
enough, no one had tried to take refuge here. I didn't care. It suited me
perfectly. I walked to the end where a brass Jesus hung on a cross. I
looked up, to the roof, not wanting to talk to a middleman. There was a
painting on the surface. God, reaching out to touch the Earth.

"Do you think that was funny?" I felt tears forming again. "We finally
fight off the Masters and you send someone new to wipe us out? We weren't
even done celebrating for Christ's sake." I gulped hard and started to walk
away. Something made me stop. "No." I looked back up again. "I'm not done
with you yet." I walked back to the front of the church.

"Fuck you. I don't want anything to do with you anymore. You hear me? I'm
done with you, and I'm sure I'm not alone here. You want to give us a hard
time, fine. But when we come back from it. And we will come back, and then
we're coming for you. And you better get a lot further away then you are
now. Cause not a damn thing in heaven nor hell is going to stop us. You
hear me?"

I shoved over the reverends pedestal and turned to walk out of the
building. I was feeling sick just being there. My footsteps echoed as I
left the church and headed back to the road.

The urge to leave the city intensified and I found the first vehicle that
looked like it was still running. An old Jeep model. The door was unlocked
and I got inside to look for a key. It was on top of the visor.

As I started the car and drove away, it never occurred to me how strange it
was to find an unlocked vehicle with keys still in it, let alone a full
tank of gas that seemed to last twice as far as it should have. Only one
thought kept occurring to me as I got further and further away from the
city. Whoever these Aliens were, I was going to have vengeance. I only
needed someone to teach me to fight.

End, part 10"

Next: Andrea arrives back in Salt Lake City to see her brother for the
first time in three years. On top of that, she's forced to try and avert a
violent confrontation with Irene and the rest of the Invid. Keri returns
and a new regular character is introduced. Don't miss it!